Only You
by darKitty
Summary: Archie and Atlanta seem oblivious to each others' feelings... but are they really? Until Archie met Armelle... AxAxOC and a little bit of JxT. 90 percent fluff Rated T for language. COMPLETED
1. Meeting Armelle

**Only You** By darKitty   
Disclaimer: I own none of the CotT characters. The only character I own in this story is Armelle. Enjoy!   
Pairings: AxAxOC JxT   
oOoOoOoOoOo 

**Meeting Armelle**   
"Bye guys, see you in a few minutes!" Theresa called out cheerfully, heading towards the girls' lockers with Atlanta. The guys trooped noisily into the boys' lockers, getting ready to change for their daily after-school training regime.   
**In the girls' lockers, 2.00pm:**   
Theresa threw her bag down on a bench and took out her usual sports attire – a white tank top and pale green shorts before disappearing into a cubicle. Atlanta followed suit, entering the cubicle next to her best friend's. 

"So, Theresa," Atlanta said casually, holding back a snicker. "How's it going with you and Jay?"

Silence greeted her as she wriggled into her black tank top.

"W…What's supposed to go on between us?" A tentative reply came floating back. "We're just friends, like you and I."

"Oh yes, friends with benefits I suppose. Like holding hands when you think no one's looking, cuddling together when it gets 'a little bit cold' and oh how about sharing an ice cream because the horrible person behind the counter wouldn't sell you guys another one?" Atlanta opened the cubicle door and came face to face with an embarrassed Theresa. "That, m'dear was the worst excuse I've ever heard."

"Well, I couldn't think of anything else!" Theresa blurted out before realizing that she had just admitted to it. "Oh crap." Atlanta couldn't help laughing at her friend's red face. Theresa sidled a little closer to Atlanta, a smirk slowly spreading across her pretty face as she combed her long orange hair into a ponytail.

"And I was just thinking, 'Lanta. What about you and a certain purple haired guy over in the guys' lockers?" Atlanta froze and furrowed her brows. Nothing had been happening between the two of them as far as she knew. They had been racing each other down the halls, back to the dorm, to the supermarket, yup, everything seemed pretty normal. She conveyed this to Theresa.

"That's what you think but I think there's something more than that," Theresa mused, tucking her clothes and comb back into her bag. "I think you and Archie like each other."

Atlanta simply burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all, saving her the trouble of giving her friend a reply. Yet as she followed the older girl out of the lockers, she wondered if her friend was right. But she didn't like Arch that way….

_Did she?_

**In the boys' lockers, 2.00pm:**

The guys made their way to different corners of the room and simply stripped right there. I mean, they were guys after all, what did you expect? Alright, except maybe for Neil, who locked himself in a cubicle. Soon enough, they heard him talking to his reflection again, "Ooooh NEIL! You look handsome today, must be that new face cream you used. Ah yes, cost you a bomb didn't it but hell yea, it's worth it…"

"And I thought true love didn't exist… until I met Neil." Archie scoffed, taking off his sweatshirt. Behind him, the rest of the guys snickered. Odie placed his laptop loving atop his bag and hastily changed into his track suit. Unlike the rest of the guys, his muscles were… shall I say, a little undeveloped.

Just then, the door to the locker rooms burst open and someone shrieked in horror. Surprised, the guys turned to the door. A (pretty) girl stood there in open-mouthed shock, a stack of books clutched to her chest. Her black hair hung at her shoulders, streaked with red. She was dressed in a black dress, cinched in the middle with a red belt, accentuating her tiny waist. Herry squealed and held up his shirt to cover his bare chest. (A/N: Okay, I know that's like highly unlikely but I just thought it'd be a bit of a change.)

"Oh… Oh god I thought this was the… Oh I'm so sorry!" The girl stammered turning to leave… before her eyes settled on Archie. Having just pulled his white muscle shirt over his head, he was quite oblivious to what was going on. The girl's obsidian eyes traveled lightly over his bare back, taking in the muscles. Her eyes flickered to his arms, appreciating the sight they provided as his muscles flexed while he struggled to pull his shirt on. She giggled. Archie whipped around at that unnatural sound in a boys' lockers and his narrowed eyes widened in surprise when he saw the girl. Her mouth formed a small 'o' as her feet sent her running into the hallway. He turned to the rest with an utterly confused look on his face, causing them to erupt into fits of laughter. Neil emerged from his cubicle at this moment to stumble upon the weird scene. He turned to Archie with a similar confused look on his face. Archie could only shrug.

"Archie, Archie, Archie," Odie began before his body convulsed with laughter once more.

"Seems like you made quite an impact on that girl back there!" Herry continued, picking up his backpack, still vibrating with contained laughter.

Jay smirked, running his fingers through his hair, "She looked like she was going to have an or… Okay, she looked like she was going to drool just looking at you."

Archie narrowed his eyes at the still-chuckling-away trio. Seemed like they were into another bout of weirdness. He made his way out of the lockers with Neil, their laughter still ringing away.

**In the hallway:**

Five out of the seven of them made their way to the track, walking in their usual positions. Jay and Theresa were walking a distance before the others, whispering to each other and trying not to appear too close. Herry and Odie followed, with Herry bombarding the smaller boy with questions from his Maths homework. As usual, Neil trailed behind admiring his reflection in his three-paneled mirror again. If you are wondering where our double As are, they had earlier raced on ahead to the track and were probably racing each other around it already.

As the five of them dumped their bags onto the grandstand, they spotted a red spot in the distance zooming around the track, with a purple dot following close behind. Jay and Theresa joined them while the others strolled lazily towards the track.

"Running sucks, Odie! Why can't we just like, exercise our leg muscles by walking around the mall all day?" Neil whined, pissed off at having got to leave his mirror behind. Odie silently agreed with the blonde boy, although he was leaning more towards the stay-at-home-and-meddle-with-his-laptop idea. Herry had already broken off into a slow jog.

"Neil! Odie! Hello," Atlanta ran past them, not even breathing heavily.

"Nice to see that you guys are running so hard!" Archie continued, running after her. Neil scowled at the violet-haired boy, he saw no sense in getting oneself sweaty and urgh, stinky. Odie and Neil continued strolling around the track, chatting to the nines about god knows what.

**An hour later:**

"Gloops! I'm exhausted!" Theresa panted, her white tank top soaked with sweat and her ponytail dripping wet.

"Gloops? What kind of a word is that?" Atlanta commented, tossing her the bottle of 100plus she was drinking from. The red-head wasn't even exhausted yet. She nudged her other best friend, second only to Theresa, "You wanna race round the track?"

Archie looked up at her from his spot on the grandstand. He sat up and groaned, "Wasn't 25 rounds good enough for you?"

"Ha, you're just trying to wriggle out of it because you know you can never beat me!" Atlanta shot back with a grin, leaping off the steps and onto the track. "Says who?" He retorted, joining her in a flash. Suddenly a giggle came from the grandstand. The guys sat up immediately.

"Hey hey, look who's here, Archie." That line came from Jay, who was grinning at his male best friend.

Herry chortled, "Your not-so-secret admirer's here to watch you run!"

"Won't you come over and say 'hi'?" Odie joined in the fun, noting the look on Archie's face. The girl who had accidentally burst into the boys' changing earlier on, went forwards and stopped in front of Archie. Archie looked down at her petite frame, unsure of what to say. His hair was too drenched in sweat to remain in its usual style, instead, he had a fringe hanging down over his eyes. Through the curtain of hair, he could see three of her friends hanging at the back, checking him out.

"Hello, Archie. I'm Armelle." She smiled at him again. "Care to exchange numbers?"

"Wha…?" Archie stammered, looking towards Atlanta for help. She gave him an insolent grin and took off to sprint around the track.

"JUST GIVE HER YOUR NUMBER, ARCH! She's pretty hot anyway," Jay called over, watching the new entertainment in delight before noticing Theresa's glare. "Er, I meant, I meant that the weather was… no, is, umm, really… hot. Yea."

"Henpecked." The other three guys mumbled, loud enough for their leader to hear. Meanwhile, on the track, Archie was reluctantly entering his number into her cellphone. She laughed as he handed her her cellphone back, "You are cute." He blushed a light crimson, looking away. "An you look even cuter when you blush. I'll call you. Ta!"

Archie watched her leave with her friends, before looking at the grandstand again. His friends were collapsed in a heap, laughing at him. Well, except for Theresa, she had this really irritated look on her face. Who knows? Maybe the drama queen had a little humanity in her after all. He scowled at them, making them laugh even harder. Atlanta dashed up next to him, amusement written all over her face. She slung an arm around his shoulders.

"So, Arch, how was the babe?" She whispered into his ear, chuckling as his face flushed red once more. "How'd she persuade you to give her your number anyway? The last time a girl did that, you turned tail and ran across half the town." Archie's face turned even redder. "Of course, leaving me to explain to her that you had this weird muscle disorder which causes your limbs to react at stupid times." Atlanta's best friend shrugged her arm off and stalked off towards the toilet, his face a red even darker than her hair.

"Aren't you jealous, 'Lanta?" Theresa asked as the red-haired beauty plunked her body down next to her.

"Huh? Jealous? What for?" Atlanta looked genuinely confused at Theresa's question. The older girl shook her head and looked into the distance. Shrugging, Atlanta finished off the bottle of 100plus.

Watching her younger best friend, Theresa sighed. _You have no idea how oblivious you are, darlin'._


	2. The Dinner

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: As always, CotT doesn't belong to me. ("But I want Archie!") Er, like I said CotT doesn't belong to me and Archie belongs solely to Atlanta. Mwahaha!

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**Back at home:**

The television was on, blaring at top volume and illuminating the dark room with its light. Seven teenagers were watching the screen intensely, engrossed in the movie when…

_I'm bringing sexy back yea_

Archie jolted and grabbed his PMR from under Atlanta's back. The pretty red head snorted incredulously, "Sexyback? And for a moment I thought that it was Neil's phone ringing." Her best friend shot her a glare as he mumbled a greeting through the cellphone. The other six heroes were focused on the screen again until their ears picked up a "What? Armelle?!" from the floor next to Atlanta.

Pausing the movie, Jay turned to stare at the blushing teenager, as did all the others. Archie was clearly stunned for words as he babbled, "Wha…? I…? Huh? Dinner? Yea?! Er…. Uhm…"

Irritated, Atlanta snatched the PMR from Archie, "Hello? Is this Armelle?"

"I'm Atlanta, Archie's best friend. What?! Nonono! _Best friend, _not girlfriend. What were you saying just now? Ah, meet him for dinner. Oh he says yes. He's got a little sore throat today you see. That's right; he'll pick you up at 6pm and take you somewhere nice for dinner. Byebye!"

Ignoring Archie's flabbergasted look, Atlanta dragged him to his feet. Half an hour to prepare a scruffy looking teenager with a dirt stained blue hoodie for a date was just not enough. Theresa got up to join them and all seemed to be going pretty well when the pretty boy just had to ruin it all by saying, "Hey Archie, sounds like a date!"

In a flash, the blonde boy was pinned to the floor with an irate Archie hovering above him with a raised arm. Neil shrieked and shut his eyes, "Not the face, Archie! Not the face! Please, Archie, Anything but the face!" He opened his eyes to see a large hand descending upon his pretty face. "Oh god not the face, have mercy please not the… eh?"

"You had a piece of popcorn stuck to your face, sucker," Archie smirked, tossing a pale yellow piece of thing onto his designer shirt. "_NOT THE FACE ARCHIE HAVE MERCY PLEASE!"_

Spotting the two girls waiting for him impatiently at the doorway of his room, Archie took a step back, only to be thrusted into the room by a grinning Herry. He shot Herry and the other guys a death glare as they collapsed and laughed at him all over again. Then again, his eyes traveled to Atlanta and Theresa who were raiding his cupboard and he gulped.

_Oh shit._

**A little while later:**

"Girls! You must kidding me!" Archie groaned, staring at the mirror in shock. "I'm not wearing this shit out! And my hair, what the hell?"

"MY HAIR! God, Arch, are you turning into Neil's son or something? And I didn't even know that Blondie was an asexual," Atlanta scoffed, winking at Theresa. "You hair looks nice this way."

Theresa stared at the two of them uncertainly. Somehow, she just wasn't sure whether or not Archie should be seeing this Armelle but Atlanta didn't seem to mind so… She gave Archie the once over and nodded. Between Atlanta, Theresa and sheer brute force, they managed to dress Archie in a nice looking black shirt with a silver skull in front and baggy blue jeans. Theresa also managed to style his hair into how it looked at the track when he was sweaty. After all, he did look better this way.

Archie groaned once more, picking at his hair. He preferred it up, that was for sure. Suddenly he heard a whisper from one red head to another about trimming his nails and that was it, he yanked the door open and ran out. Fifteen minutes of sheer torture was bad enough and he wasn't about to go through another bout of it. It took him more than a few seconds to realize that the guys were staring at him in total amazement.

"Hey bud', what did you do to your hair?" Jay sounded more than a little surprised. He was sure Archie would never allow anyone to style his hair.

"Eh, I think you look nice with a scowl. Did the girls fix that for you? Oh wait, you _are _scowling!" Herry laughed. Archie rolled his eyes, as if being pinned down by one over active red head and being positively man handled by another wasn't bad enough.

Odie gave his friend a good once-over and nodded, "I think you actually look rather compatible with Armelle." The pitiful violet haired boy was getting irritated.

"Come here, Archie," Neil commanded with a smirk on his face. "The ladies have requested that I apply a little face cream onto your face because it looks rather dry and I must admit, they're right. But mind you, my face cream is really really expensive but it does wonders and you better be honored. I'm doing this because you're my friend."

Archie backed away in horror. This was just too much. Letting out a shriek when Neil fished out a little container filled with pink cream, he turned and ran out the door.

**Somewhere down the road:**

_Thunk-thud-thunk-thud_

Archie ran down the road in an attempt to escape from the girls. His mind whirring, he began to wonder how he could wriggle out of this date. Unlike the other guys, he had not taken much to Armelle. In fact, he got annoyed easily by her giggles. _Oh yes, I can always say I forgot my wallet! _Archie grinned at his own brilliance, until he realized that the girls had stuffed his wallet into his back pocket. _Wait a minute! Atlanta hadn't told me where I'm supposed to pick Armelle up! Perfect excuse. _Archie wanted to laugh his ass off at his really brilliant idea when a rather familiar voice called out, "Archie!"

He turned in horror to see the pretty girl running down the steps of her house. Her voice was breathy and seductive as she pressed herself against him, "Archie, you're so sweet. You do know you're ten minutes early don't you? And how did you know where my house was?"

"I… er…" Archie cursed mentally. This was ridiculous. How was he going to explain that he had merely run past while trying to figure out a way to get out of the dinner? "I um… Theresa told me. She has biology classes with you, right?" He crossed his fingers behind his back. Armelle pondered for a moment then piped up, "Hey, you're right! Let's go! Where're we going?"

"M… Mall?"

"Oooh that's great! What do you wanna do there?"

"Er… movie?"

Armelle shrieked in delight, "Archie you're the best! What're we going to watch?"

Archie was stumped. His blank mind couldn't come up with a movie to watch. He gulped, "Why don't you choose?" Taking this as a sign that he was flirting with her, Armelle giggled again. Her little bird brain was working fast that night, "Let's watch a horror movie! How about… The Hills Have Eyes 2?"

Archie nodded in relief as they neared the mall. The girl dressed in a pink mini dress had been clinging onto his arm the entire way and he was sure his arm was suffering from severe loss of blood circulation. Managing to shake her hand off for a moment, he hurried towards the ticket booth. Better get this damn date over with fast. He noted that she was already on her cellphone, probably squealing to her friends how this date was going. He rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me, sir? What movie would you like to watch?"

"Girls." Archie growled, thinking about Atlanta's horrible betrayal.

"What?" The lady behind the counter was sure she heard him wrongly.

"Oh, uh, two tickets to The Hills Have Eyes Two please," Archie stammered, handing the money over.

**In the theatre:**

The girl sitting beside Archie screamed in horror and wrapped an arm around him, burying her face into his chest. She smiled into it, he was comfy. She titled her head to look at the screen again. Seeing the horrors painted upon it, she wrapped another arm around him and buried her face deeper.

"Archie-kins, I'm scared!" She whimpered, grabbing at his shirt. Archie looked down at her head of black hair in surprise, _Archie-kins_? Atlanta would never let him live it down if she knew. He sighed, Armelle had been grabbing at him, touching him here and there and shrieking his eardrums out throughout the entire show, and it was barely half over.

There had never been a time like this where he felt as sexually harassed as this and wishing that the movie was over before. He patted her shoulder awkwardly, only to have her envelope him in an even tighter bone-crushing, lung-deflating, rib-breaking hug. Seems like Herry wasn't the only one with inhumane strength. Archie grunted in pain as he squirmed in her grasp. Apparently, Armelle didn't seem to notice this and only clung on tighter.

_This was pure hell._

**After the show:**

"Archie-kins, that was great. You were soooo brave and did I mention your hug is so comforting?" Armelle chirped, hanging on to Archie's arm (the one with blood circulation). "Let's watch another movie another time okay?"

"S… Sure? Erm, could you stop calling me Archie-kins? It gives me serious goosebumps," Archie said as gently as he could, trying to ease his arm out of her grasp again.

"Oh but of course. My darling Archie is too macho isn't he? Awww that's alright, I'll do whatever you say, darling," she cooed, leaning her head on his shoulder delicately. "Bye bye, sweetums!"

Stopping in front of her house, she leaned forwards and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Bye," Archie waved, half relieved and half surprised. "_Sweetums?!_" He managed to stumble his way back home, frantically wiping his lips on his shirt. That sucked.

He entered the apartment with a sigh before noticing six pairs of eyes fixed on him. Silence reigned for a moment or two before Atlanta broke it.

"So, sweetums, how was the date?" She cooed, snickering at his apparent discomfort.

"Yea, Archie-kins, did she like your hair?" Neil couldn't resist cutting in.

Odie held back laughter as he joined in the ribbing, "Of course, her darling Archie is so macho!"

"This is too fucking ridiculous! How did you guys know?!" Archie snarled, one hand on the door knob and the other clenched in a fist. Jay held up his PMR then pointed at the younger boy's pocket. Archie took his own PMR out and groaned. Apparently, he had speed dialed Jay on accident, which meant that all of them heard every single word he had exchanged with Armelle. Fortunately, he hadn't said a single word that indicated his liking for her. And actually, he didn't like her anyway.

After a couple more minutes' of ribbing, Jay ushered the rest back to their rooms to sleep, going on about a few extra hours of training the next day. Archie was left alone to brood in the dark living room when Atlanta emerged from her room to grab her PMR from the floor. She sat down next to him and ruffled his hair, "Goodnight, Archie-kins. Sleep early, I wanna race 25 rounds with you tomorrow." He flushed red again, glad she couldn't see him in the dark. Slapping her hand away lightly, he felt her get up and leave.

Soon, another red-head joined him on the couch. Great, now the drama-queen was here. He turned to her slightly and growled, "Here to continue ribbing me?"

"Actually, no," Theresa murmured softly. Archie was surprised. "Do you actually like Armelle?"

"No."

"I'll get her off your back if you want. I know you don't like her, I can tell." Archie stared at the figure sitting next to him harder. Was it really Theresa or was it someone else?

"Are you the drama queen or are you some evil descendant of some evil Greek creature who took over her body?" Archie asked, inching to the side.

"I'm the drama queen. Goodnight, Archie," Theresa replied, amusement clear in her voice. She got up and left the room. Just as she was about to go through the doorway, Archie spoke again, "Does your offer still stand?" Seeing his team mate's silhouette nod in the dark, he continued, "Great, get her of my back drama queen. My life lies in your hands."

There was silence for a few moments after Theresa nodded, her lips curling wryly. It wasn't going to be too hard tearing them apart if Archie didn't like her. She was bent on shoving her best friend and her best friend's second best friend together.

"Thanks, Theresa." His voice floated through the dark in a whisper. Archie added that as an afterthought, getting up and going to his room as well.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: Well, how did you find that? I think it pretty much sucks. Not much plot was there? But I promise you I'll make the next chapter better. Well, I hope. And just to make things clear, Armelle is not a descendent of any Greek heroine or something. Still, she _may _have a little run-in with Cronus, I don't know. We'll just wait and see. (:


	3. Of Spilling Coke and Washing Toilets

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine so let's get on with the story.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In the cafeteria:**

"Holy crap!" Archie cursed, glaring at the can of coke in his hand. It had bubbled over onto both his shirt and his pants. Grimacing in sympathy, Odie tossed him a spare shirt. Archie stood up, about to go and change when he realized that his shorts were sticking rather uncomfortably to his skin.

"Here, take my new set of pants, I'll just continue wearing this one," his leader laughed, handing him a pair of pants. Archie took it and turned to leave when Neil spoke up, still pouting at himself in the mirror.

"Honestly Archie, you should stop drinking carbonated drinks. They contain like, way too much calories. I mean- OWCH!" Archie sent an empty drink can flying at the blonde boy's head in frustration and stomped off to the washrooms. He was back in a moment, with a worried look on his face.

"Hey, do you guys know if there are any other washrooms near the cafeteria? The one we usually go to is being washed," Archie asked the others, tugging at his wet hoodie.

"You could just use the girls' toilet!" Neil chirruped, trying to fix his hair, seeing as Archie had somehow mussed it up by throwing a can at him. He looked up and saw the glares the boys were sending him. "What? That's what I would do, no wait. That's what I usually do. The chicks don't mind." The rest ignored him as they pondered over their friend's predicament. Herry stood up suddenly, dragging Archie along with him. He led them to the back of the grandstand and grinned in triumph. Odie looked up at his 'big buddy' in pride. Turning to the coke-drenched boy, he nodded. The place was far from prying eyes, Archie didn't even need the toilet.

Smiling his thanks at the big guy, Archie took off his hoodie and peeled off the tee usually wore underneath it. Meanwhile, the rest trooped upstairs to wait for him on the steps. The white shirt was a rather disgusting brown now, having been 'dyed' by the coke. Leaving his chest to dry off, Archie hastened to change out of his pants. Suddenly…

"Oh. My. God. Look at the _bod!_" an awed voice came from behind. Archie felt his muscles tense. That voice sounded decidedly feminine. He turned slowly to face the school female hockey team. There was a chorus of appreciative murmurs as they took in his six-pack and well-defined muscles. (A/N: Sorry, have an obsession with Archie here. But don't we all? ;D) that baggy hoodie he always wore was doing his physique not one bit of good.

"Nice pecs, Archie."

"Damn straight!"

"Whoa, can I feel those?"

"That, is one hot body."

Archie flicked his eyes towards Theresa who was trying to suppress her amusement. Atlanta was clearly not bothering to do so. She was bent over, her body shaking violently with mirth. Theresa looked at him sheepishly and gestured to the wolf-whistling and cat-calling girls, "Well, Archie. Say hi to the hockey team." One pretty brunette piped up, her gray eyes dancing, "Yo Sexy, your fly's not zipped." Archie felt his face go hot as he looked down.

Taking pity on him at last, Atlanta dragged him to the girls' washroom, hidden behind a wall that the guys had not seen. Enraged, our hero with the purple tresses roared, "WHAT D'YOU MEAN THERE'S A GIRLS' TOILET HERE?!"

**In the toilet:**

As Theresa entered the toilet, Archie hissed, "Remember what you promised about Armelle." She nodded then began to strip her shirt off. Archie stared at her incredulously before he realized that the entire hockey team was doing just that. He fliushed with embarrassment at the amount of skin they bared before him as he shrugged his shirt on and made for the door. A blonde he recognized as Claire called out, "Hun', why're you so uncomfortable?"

"Yea baby, give us a moment to change before you flind that door wide open!" The brunette form earlier on joined in.

"That's quite enough, girls. Archie here needs our help. He's dating this girl called…" Theresa quickly explained his situation to the sympathetic hockey team. Atlanta stood next to him, shrugging a black tank top on, "You don't like Armelle?" he nodded and turned to look at her. Which wasn't exactly the best thing to do, for he soon found his eyes traveling across her tanned flat tummy, her lithe body frame, her pert ass…

_Oh god, Arch, GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF! _He slapped himself mentally and tore his eyes away from the tempting scene. So this was what dating someone you didn't like does to you. It made you check out your best friend. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to face a grinning Theresa. The older red head's mind was squealing, _Archie just checked 'Lanta out! __I know! Seriously, I need to get 'em together! __Didn't need you to tell me that!_

The girls had apparently decided that Claire would act like she was obsessed with Archie right before Armelle and give her enough reason to stalk off fuming. Archie decided to go along with it when he felt a body press up against him. He tilted his head to see Claire wink at him suggestively and trail a finger down his jawbone… before the girls erupted into fits of giggles. Archie groaned, turning to his best friend for help, "'Lannie, please. I need some help here."

"Lannie?" the brunette called Liza repeated. "Hey, Cap'n he's yours?" (A/N: I think Atlanta should be the team captain… right?" frantically, Atlanta shook her head and walked out of the door, giving Archie a rather familiar insolent grin. The rest of the team trooped out after her, dragging Archie along with them. They went up on the grandstand where the guys were talking and leaning against the steps.

**On the grandstand:**

"Uhm, Archie, are you telling me you went into the toilet with all these girls?" Herry repeated, staring dumbly at his friend.

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me get this straight. You watched them change?!" Jay exploded. "BUT THAT MEANS YOU WATCHED THERESA CHANGE!" Atlanta shot her friend a knowing look, causing her to look away blushing.

"How come you went into the toilet anyway?" Odie asked, his eyes never leaving the handheld game he was playing. Archie rolled his eyes and turned away, only to see an irate Armelle before him.

"Erm, hi?" He tried, sliding backwards slightly.

"ARCHIE?! YOU WENT INTO THE TOILET WITH ALL THESE GIRLS? URGH! AND I THOUGHT YOU WERE DIFFERENT!" She screeched, her eyes blazing. "Archie I hate you! It's over!"

He stared mutely after her as she went off across the track before he shouted, "JUST FOR THE RECORD, ARMELLE, WHY'RE YOU HERE?"

She turned and glared at him, "The toilet near the cafeteria was being washed!" With that she stomped off. The hockey team looked at each other and shrugged. So much for the great plan. Atlanta nudged him, "So, disappointed that Claire didn't get to fondle you?"

"Awww it was a real pity but that's ok. I like this guy more. Hey big guy," Claire turned to Herry and sat in his lap teasingly. "Nice muscles you got there."

"Well, I suppose it was good that you broke up with her. Or rather, she dumped you. She could have been under Cronus's spell or something." Jay resumed his seriousness, his earlier anger forgotten.

"Cronus?" Liza asked, looking at them in confusion, as did the rest of the hockey team.

"Erm, no one, sorry." Jay quickly covered up his slip of the tongue. Laughing, they resumed talking and laughing, leaving a certain purple haired guy and a pretty red head to lean on each other's shoulders wearily.

**In Jay's room, 9.00pm:**

"Jay! Jay!" An excited whisper came from above him. "Wake up!"

Groggily, he felt for his xiphos and sat up, squinting into the darkness. He growled in his most menancing voice, "Who's there?" feeling a pressure at the foot of his bed, he reached out a hand and touched something… silky? The light snapped on, revealing an excited looking Theresa in her (short) silk nightgown. She crawled closer to him, practically sitting in his lap and pushing his weapon away.

"Huh?" was all his mind could come up with. She hopped up and down slightly before finally speaking again, "JAY! I've thought of a plan to make Archie and Atlanta come together!"

"What?"

"Archie and Atlanta you doofus!"

"Wha…? Why me?"

"Because you're the closest to Archie!" Theresa smacked Jay on the head lightly, determined to get him to help her.

"But why in the middle of the night?"

"I happened to dream about it," the red head shrugged before noticing his face. "Hey, I like playing matchmaker alright?"

Jay nodded dumbly, taking in her tousled hair, green eyes, long bare legs, curvy body… he smacked himself mentally (A/N: remind you of someone?)

"Erm, okay?" he managed to croak out, noticing the close proximity they were sitting at. Her hand was laid on his thigh as she hopped off the bed in glee.

"Night, hun'! Tomorrow, those darlings won't know what hit 'em!" Theresa pranced out of the room, switching off the light as she went. Jay was plunged into darkness, but that was okay, for his mind was filled with only one red-headed beauty.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In Cronus's lair:**

"Well, isn't that interesting?" Cronus smiled evilly to himself, watching a black-tressed girl crying and declaring her everlasting hate for someone named Archie.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: Okay I'm really sorry there was not much A/A action in here but the scene I wanted to write of them didn't fit. So it'll have to go into the next chapter. But there's a little bit of JT for JT fans:D Chapter four in progress! And I'll upload it if I get more reviews. winks


	4. Fall In Love Much?

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: Honestly, do we have to do this every single time? ):

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In the park, 8.00am:**

The park was filled with people, some walking their dogs, some sitting on the park benches reading newspapers or simply reveling in nature on a perfect Saturday morning. Of course, no one gave a second glance to the teenagers jogging side by side. Well, maybe a couple of curious passer-bys would stare at the purple hair for a moment or two. Atlanta was for once not turning their morning jog into a competition, instead choosing to run alongside her best friend. The back of her plain baby blue tee was soaked with sweat, as were her camo-shorts. She seemed to be rather uncomfortable as she tried to say something but decided not to. Finally noticing her discomfort, Archie gave her a quizzical look.

"Look, I just wanted to say… um," she began, looking at the grass, the trees, the birds, the sky, anything but at him. "I'mreallysorryIteasedyousomuchaboutArmelleandInevernoticedyoudidn'tlikeher."

"Well, the princess has finally decided to open her mouth and apologize," Archie mocked, grinning at her to show that he was joking. "Apology accepted."

"You certainly didn't act like you didn't like her."

"What d'you expect me to do with a crazy baboon like you deciding on a date for me?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING THEN?!"

"YOU NEVER ASKED!"

"Oh." Atlanta replied sheepishly, glancing at her friend through her lashes. His face was glistening with sweat and perspiration was dripping off his hair. Jogging towards a bench, she collapsed onto it. They had been running for an hour, all around the park. Just then, a cute cocker spaniel started tugging on its owner's leash as they walked past, trying to go towards Atlanta. The owner was a kindly old lady and she led the dog over to where the two teenagers were sitting. Stretching out her arms, Atlanta cuddled the dog.

"Awww, you're such a cutie!" She cooed, cradling the dog in her arms.

"Not as cute as you." Archie said before his brain could process what he had just said. Seeing Atlanta's confused look, he mumbled, "Er, it's nothing."

This did not go unnoticed by the old lady for she laughed gaily. Taking the dog from Atlanta, she stood up.

"You young people are so adorable when you're in love. And the two of you make such a lovely couple!" She smiled at them.

"Actually, we're not a couple. We're just best friends," Atlanta attempted to explain themselves weakly.

"Ah, but isn't that how it all starts?" The old lady gave them a knowing wink before leaving with her dog. Turning to look at each other, their eyes locked.

**Archie's POV:**

_Her eyes are so mesmerizing, and the way her satin mouth opens slightly is way too adorable. It just makes me want to kiss it--- No! What am I thinking? But I can't deny the fact that her body would fit so comfortably in my arms if I ever held her._

_I remember how I used to crush over her. Crap, I actually almost told her I loved her when Arachne hypnotized her._

"

_And when she was infected by that creepy disgusting monster released when I stupidly opened Pandora's box, I kissed her. Her cheek felt so smooth and soft against my lips. It took all my will power not to just grab her there and then and kiss her right on the lips. To think I actually did that right in front of all the gods. But hey, they didn't say anything. And I sure as hell hope they didn't say anything to her._

_Ah yes, and what about Pan? Or rather, DJ Panic. That stupid little half goat, half man. I nearly died of jealousy when he was so close to her. And she loved him so much; I didn't dare to say anything. When you truly love a person, you'd do anything to make him or her happy. I didn't say anything, because she was happy with him. I wanted her to be happy. I think I used to love her. Really really love her._

_I say 'used to' because I finally got over her. I couldn't bear not having the one I loved. I didn't want to spoil our friendship and in turn jeopardize the entire team. So I killed myself, not literally of course, killed myself inside by forcing myself not to think about her. It was hard but I did it. But what the fuck. Every time I manage to do something right, life has to screw it up. And right now, life is screwing me up._

_Because what the hell, I think I'm falling madly in love with this babe again._

**Atlanta's POV:**

_His hair's in that hair style that really suits him again. And his steel blue eyes are just so… so… I dunno, breath taking. I'm practically drowning in them! Oh god. I never knew his body was that good until the girls went giddy over him. Has he always been this muscular? I never knew. The way he looks at me makes me want to melt, I just feel like throwing my arms around him and- Wait, I can't like my best friend… can I?_

_There's something I've tried to bluff myself and Theresa into believing – that I was not jealous when he was with Armelle. That first time I saw her giggle and place her hand on Archie's arm, white hot rage shot through me. That was __my __Archie she was touching. But he wasn't mine then, he was just my best friend, not my boyfriend._

_The second time when she called, my heart skipped a beat. I was hoping and praying he wouldn't agree to the dinner date but what the hey. My hands had a mind of their own. They simply snatched his PMR from him and my mouth just rattled off whatever came to its mind. I never knew he didn't like her. I should have stopped and think. Now that's a laugh. The day Atlanta thinks before she does anything is the day pigs fly._

_She called him 'Archie-kins', 'Sweetums', 'Darling'. I can't help but feel that those honey coated worse don't deserve to drip from her lips. I know she kissed him on their first (and last) date. We all know. We could see it in his PMR. I felt this really sour feeling at the bottom of my heart, as though my heart was being twisted again and again. How could she kiss him? And how could he not stop her?_

_I really can't deny it any longer. I really was jealous. As for now, life really hates me._

_Because I think I'm falling in love with my best friend._

**Back at the park:**

Archie broke their eye contact first, coughing and fidgeting. She looked away too, blushing for probably the third time in her entire life. Trying to break the awkward silence around them, Atlanta decided to ask him something she had been dying to ask.

"So what didn't you like about Armelle?" She asked casually, looking at him sideways. He looked back at her, trying to avoid eye contact.

"She just wasn't my type. I really can't stand girls who hang off my arm 24/7, thinking that it's made of stone or something. Hell, it's flesh and blood! She practically cut off all blood circulation!" Archie babbled, thinking of how horrid it had been. "And I think I might have liked someone else…"

Her heart skipped a beat as she smirked nonchalantly, "Oh, who?"

His eyes wandered all over the place before he exclaimed, "Neil!"

"Huh? You like Neil? You're gay?!" Atlanta stuttered in shock before following Archie's gaze to a spot behind her. A rather irate looking Neil was stomping away towards them, his PMR clutched in his left hand. "Hello, Neil. 'sup?"

"Have you two lovebirds realized how many times we have been trying to contact you?!" The blonde boy shrieked. Simultaneously, they took out their PMRs. Archie's read '15 missed calls'; Atlanta's read '18 missed calls'. Grinning guiltily, they glanced back up at him. "C'mon, Hera's practically foaming at the mouth and Jay's thrown quite a fit. Emergency meeting now."

They got up hurriedly, following the model. Atlanta glanced at her friend, still wondering who the one he liked was.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In Cronus's lair:**

"Agnon!" Cronus roared. "Bring the girl in!"

A bumbling giant thumped his way into the room, dragging along a screeching girl by her long black hair. Armelle screamed again and tried to scratch the giant's arm. Of course, her weak nails were no match for the giant's leather-like-skin. The giant let out a throaty laugh. That tickled. He sat her before Cronus before backing away.

Armelle stomped her foot on the ground childishly and pouted, hurling curses at the man dressed in a suit before her. He turned to look at her, and she froze immediately, staring in wonder at his blood red eyes. An evil smile stretched across his scarred face, "Had enough of your own immaturity, girl?"

Suddenly remembering where she was, the girl resumed screaming and shouting again before calming down and staring at the evil guy straight in the eye.

"Duuuuude," she drawled. "You need to see a doctor?"

"And why is that?" Cronus replied, looking decidedly cracked up.

"You've got a serious sore eye. Even your pupils are red!"

"You are absolutely ridiculous!" Cronus roared. "Agnon! Prepare my chain!"

"Hey big guy. Chill okay? It's not _my _fault that you had sore eyes. And anyway, you should use a little moisturizer on that face of yours. It looks so urgh, dry!" Armelle grinned, unaware of the situation she was in. Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Cronus took the metal chain with a small diamond bob hanging off it from Agnon. Dangling it before the girl's eyes, he began to sway it gently, then faster, as her pupils grew more and more dilated. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers and she jerked, blinking rapidly then shutting her eyes tight. When she reopened them, her pupils were red, almost as red as his.

"Now, I am now your master and you will do whatever I say." Cronus droned, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Yes, Master."

"You will use the weapons I provide you to kill Archie."

"Yes, Master."

"The weapons are small so no one can see them. Are you clear?"

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Agnon, you know what to do with her now." Watching the giant drag the girl out of the room, Cronus let out a single, spine-chilling evil laugh. "Watch out, titans. Your precious little prophecy is about to be broken."

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: How was that? I hope you liked it. It's the shortest chapter out of the 4 I have so far but I was hitting a mental block last night. Still... Loads and loads of A/A eh? R & R, people:D


	5. Talk about Love

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: Of course, CotT belongs to me. Solely to me. ME! ME!

You know I'm kidding.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In school after lessons:**

Atlanta leaned outside their Grade 11 classroom as she watched Odie wave goodbye to a pretty girl with smooth chocolate skin and bright brown eyes. Her hair went down her back like a shiny black river. When he came up to his waiting friend, she beamed at him, just a little too brightly.

"What?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he rubbed his afro, clutching his laptop and books in one arm.

"That was Zakira right?"

"No, it's Zedora."

"Ah, yes. I'm sorry. Her eyes are a very nice green."

"Green? Hell no, they're the sweetest brown- HEY!" Odie glared at Atlanta, who was trying not to let out a snort of laughter. "Look, there's nothing going on between us okay! We were just planning a study session

"Odie? Study? Now, those two words don't link because this little guy's got such a good brain he doesn't even need to study!" Herry grinned at his best buddy.

"Ha, what makes you think they're planning to study?" Atlanta cut in, wriggling her eyebrows at a fuming Odie. "It's just an excuse to pop over to the library then decide that there's nothing to study and Odie the man will suggest watching a scary movie and halfway through the movie, he'll do this…" She grabbed a passing Archie by the arm and slung her arms around him tightly. Startled, Archie looked around wildly, thinking Armelle was back to haunt him again. Spotting Atlanta, he narrowed his steel blue eyes and all at once, his fingers descended towards her waist, determined to tickle her to hell. He succeeded.

"Stop… Stop it you… you melon-headed, ashy-elbowed, bow-legged, grouper-fish-like-looking-thing-so-slimy-you'd-slip-out-of-anyone's grasp!" Atlanta screamed with laughter, trying to fend off his hands, still surprisingly not out of breath. "I was just demonstrating h- how Odie's girlfriend, Zakora would hug him."

"It's _Zedora_!" Odie exclaimed indignantly. "And where're the rest?"

"Right here, Odie." Theresa appeared with Jay and Neil in tow. "Now what's this I hear about Odie's girlfriend?" She had a delighted smile on her face, her mind whirring as to how she was going to play matchmaker with some other innocent couple. Still, she got distracted when she spotted the position her current project was in. Leaning into Jay's arms, she whispered in his ear and indicated towards them.

Archie had Atlanta pinned against the wall, his arms on either side of her so that she had no way to escape. They were speechless for awhile before Archie leaned forwards. Atlanta's eyes fluttered close unwittingly before Archie suddenly shouted, "NEIL! WILL YOU STOP USING MY BACK TO LEAN ON?!"

"Do you two realize what position you are in?" Theresa smirked, still leaning against Jay for support. The two of them looked down then leapt aside; their faces flushed a red even redder than Atlanta's hair. Shuffling his feet uncomfortably, Archie studied his leader's face. Jay looked rather pleased with his current position, with a beauty leaning against him.

"Well you two seem pretty happy with _your _positions," Archie shot back, shooting Theresa a 'so there!' look as she flushed crimson. Bored, Neil deadpanned, "Well if our four lovebirds are done sniping at each other, can we please go for lunch? I'm dying for a low-fat, high-calcium glass of milkshake and a healthy tomato salad. By the way, did you know that tomatoes keep your face really smooth? Like, I mean really? The best tomatoes are…" He continued rambling as he walked away from the wall, narrowly missing an annoyed Archie's blow.

"What did you expect? He's the lucky one." Atlanta smiled sweetly as she walked past him.

"Oh whatever," he growled back in response before trailing after them.

**At a café:**

The titans stared in silence at the crowded café. Now what? There was only one table left to squeeze two people and the rest would have to go somewhere else to eat, which was clearly not what anybody wanted. Pushing his way daintily through the crowd, Neil made his way to the counter, careful not to touch the food and sauce stained glass. After exchanging a few words with the owner, he beckoned to his friends who went towards him, Archie and Atlanta banging into everyone who was in their way.

"Those two have more in common than they think," Theresa whispered to Jay, finding herself pressed up against him in the crowd.

They followed the café owner to a barred area at the back of the café, where there was a table with only five seats. They looked at Neil questioningly. He shrugged, "I was thinking that the two lovebirds would like a few moments alone outside." Archie and Atlanta blushed. "I was talking about Jay and Theresa, actually." Neil smiled slightly, careful not to stretch his beautifully flawless skin too much. His leader stared at him in stunned silence, attempting to keep his hand from straying to Theresa's waist. The owner escorted them out and placed a menu on their table before trotting off to attend to another customer.

"So, Neil, how'd you get to know the owner?" Odie asked, settling himself into a seat next to Herry.

"Oh, well. I was his model for the opening of this shop and thanks to my absolutely gorgeous mouth, he got quite a lot of customers after that." Neil replied, buffing his nails vigorously, although each was already shining like a tiny mirror.

"Your gorgeous _mouth_?" Atlanta looked positively disgusted. Neil waved a hand delicately towards the wall. The other four looked at the walls with a renewed interest. A few picture blowups had someone's mouth slightly opened, with a forkful of cake, or sipping a cup of coffee.

Archie stared at the photos in disbelief. He gulped, "Now I'll never be able to eat in peace in this restaurant ever again."

**With the lovebirds:**

"Are you hungry?" Jay asked, at the same time as Theresa inquired politely, "What do you want to eat?" They stared at each other in surprise then burst out laughing. A waitress hurried up to their table, a notebook in her hand. Her bun was coming undone and she looked exhausted. Her name tag read "Gabriella".

"A… salmon set please," Theresa smiled at the waitress before turning expectantly to Jay. "Oh, and a hot chocolate."

"I'll have a plate of spaghetti and a can of sprite, thanks." The waitress nodded and scribbled down their orders, whisking the menu away as she did so.

When she was gone, the two of them sat in silence. Theresa played with a lock of her hair as she watched Jay studying his shoes intently.

"Do we have any homework?" Theresa attempted to break the silence.

"I need to tell you something!" Jay exploded at the same time. Not again? Theresa giggled and gestured for him to say what he had to say first.

"I need to tell you that… that…" Jay mumbled, his eyes shifting all around. "I kinda like… no, really like… Ah, love? No, like… like…"

"Yeeeeees?" Theresa drawled, looking at the undeniably good-looking teenager hopefully.

"I really like…" Jay tried again. "Yo… your belt!"

"You really like my belt?" Theresa repeated disbelievingly. "Jay! I don't even wear a belt!"

"Oh, I meant to say… I like your shoes?" Jay was stabbing himself mentally at his stupidity.

"Oh bother!" Theresa snapped before grabbing his head and kissing him right on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her as best as he could over the table.

"You know, I could always remove the table for you," a voice commented drily. They detached from each other to see Gabriella standing there with a tray in her hands.

"Heh, sorry," they chorused, taking the tray from a bemused waitress. She shook her head slightly as she walked away. _What it was like to be young again…_

**After lunch:**

The seven teenagers made their way back home, with five of them trailing behind a couple tentatively brushing their hands against each other's.

"Oh this is just stupid!" Neil exploded as he stomped up to them and grabbed their wrists. "What's with the oh-I wanna-touch-your-hand-but-do-you-wanna-hold-mine thing?" He opened Jay's palm and dumped Theresa's hand in his before resuming his daily dosage of 'Gaze At Neil's Insanely Good Looks'.

Seeing the rest staring at him, he stared right back indignantly, "What? They just needed a little nudging in the right direction!"

"That was more of a kick them straight to their destination rather than a little encouraging push," Archie deadpanned. "Nice going, Blondie."

"Archie." Out of the blue, a monotonous voice echoed through the air. Frowning, the titans looked around them but saw no one. Shrugging, Jay pushed their apartment door open. Then, the voice repeated Archie's name. A flicker of fear came across his face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Who the fuck are you?" He snarled, looking around wildly. Someone stepped out from behind a pillar. "Armelle?!" His jaw dropped open like an unhinged door. She turned to face him slowly, her eyes flashing a dangerous red. Taking a step back, he slammed the door shut.

It didn't take the girl more than a minute to bang it down. It landed with a crash on the carpeted floor. Atlanta took out her bolas, whirling them at lightning speed. Archie reached for his Hephaestus whip, keeping one eye on his ex-girlfriend nervously. Herry lunged at her, but to his surprise, found himself lying with his back against a wall and feeling slightly dazed. Jay turned to -Archie accusingly, "You never told us your ex-friend learnt martial arts!"

"I never even knew she learnt martial arts!" Archie exclaimed in response, his whip slicing a potted plant she sent flying at him into half. "Look, Armelle, we can talk!"

"Must. Kill. Archie." She droned as an answer to his plea. Atlanta raised an eyebrow, "Well, that was certainly an interesting declaration of love." She threw her bolas and fortunately, it wound itself around her legs, causing the girl to fall over and hit her forehead on the corner of the television stand. Atlanta went over to the fallen figure tentatively, and squatted down next to her. She gazed at the pale face in confusion. Surely she was under Cronus's spell! As she leant in a little nearer, she didn't expect Armelle's eyes to fly open and her hand to slap her arm. Leaping back in shock, she felt the others gather around her. Armelle tore the bolas off her heels and ran off.

"Lannie! Are you okay?" Archie rushed over to his friend, supporting her.

"Yea, I'm fine. You don't need to support me. I think I'll just go lie down." Atlanta snapped in response before walking towards her room.

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In Cronus's lair:**

_Well, it wasn't the target I expected but that's good enough. _Cronus watched everything unfold in his magic pool. (A/N: is it even called a magic pool in the first place?) Sitting down in his chair, he thought, _yes, soon I will rule the world. Soon._ He let out a spine-chilling laugh again, causing the giants to cringe in fear.

"When the girl dies, I will rule the world…"

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: This one's kinda short too but I hope you liked it. I realized that I'm updating at a really fast rate! Haha, Jay and Theresa finally kissed! A little dedication to all the JxT fans out there. (:


	6. I Let You Down

**Only You**

By darKitty

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In the apartment, 9.30 pm:**

Archie turned and tossed on his bed, unable to drift into sleep. It took all of his willpower not to smash the stupid lamp post outside with its stupid light shining through his stupid window with its stupid curtains which were pretty much useless. Everything was just so stupid! He finally crawled out of his bed, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier than it already was.

Sighing, he wandered to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As he returned to his room, he heard a scuffle in Atlanta's room. Frowning, he took another step towards her door. He knocked apprehensively before an ear splitting shriek emitted from the room. His heart seemed to drum a hundred times per second while he threw the door open and gasped at the scene. His best friend was lying on her front amidst a tangle of sheets. Sweat was pouring off her like no tomorrow.

Picking his way through her scattered shirts all over the floor, he managed to get to her. Before his groggy mind could register what he was doing, he had scooped her into his arms. She arched her back, pressing herself into him. Her fingers were entangled in the oversized black shirt he had slept in, gripping so tight that her knuckles turned white. She was trembling and shaking, even crying. Archie's mind was wild with worry as he asked her repeatedly if she was having a nightmare. Apparently she wasn't for she convulsed in sudden pain. This went on for a few minutes before Archie realized his stupidity.

Lifting her up off the bed, he ran to Herry's room, banging frantically on the door. _Has she always been this light? _He wondered as he cradled a still convulsing Atlanta in his arms. A seriously pissed off Herry opened the door and peered out. Seeing Atlanta's pale face and Archie's stricken one, he sent them to the truck and banged on everyone's door to get them up.

"What's going on?" Jay mumbled, rubbing his sleepy eyes and fumbling around for his xiphos. Theresa came out from her room in her silk nightgown, her hair an even starker red against her iridescent skin. Odie pushed his glasses up his nose, almost banging into a grumbling Neil.

"Now what the heck happened that is so important such that you had to wake me up from me beauty sleep? Without twelve hours of sleep daily, one will get serious eye bags and dry skin!" Neil complained loudly, plopping himself into the sofa.

"Guys, Atlanta's really really sick, we've got to get her to Chiron now. I'll bring her there with Archie first and come back for you guys okay?" Herry explained hastily, running out the door as fast as he could.

**Next to the truck:**

Archie leaned against the truck, holding Atlanta tightly against him. She was still in pain, screaming and crying. He found himself almost crying as well as he tried to ease her pain by rubbing her back. _Crap. Atlanta, if anything happens to you, I'll die too. _He slipped a hand down her arm but pulled back immediately when she howled in further distress, shaking and gripping his arm tight.

Gently, he rolled her sleeve up slowly. Against her tan skin was a red mark no bigger than a dot. It wouldn't have seemed more serious than an ant bite, had the skin around the area not been a dark blue and black, spreading across her entire upper arm. He gasped in horror as he carried her into the truck. She whimpered one last time before delving into unconsciousness. Herry started the engine, speeding towards the school. He gripped the steering wheel so tight that the rim sank in, taking with it the shape of his fingers.

**In the school:**

"CHIRON! CHIRON!" Archie roared, speeding down the corridor's polished floors. There was a sound of galloping hoofs as the centaur came cantering down the hall, an angry look on his face.

"Now what in the name of Zeus is… Oh my goodness! Bring her to my workshop (A/N: Sorry, I don't know what it's called.)!" Chiron turned, galloping back to where he came from.

When the others arrived, they found a stricken Archie sitting with his back to the wall on the floor. He had tried, but was thrown out, to stay with Atlanta while the centaur tried to treat her.

Theresa was almost crying with worry as her best friend lay just behind the door, sitting in a chair with Jay's arm tight around her waist. His chin was on her shoulder as emotions flickered across his face. Atlanta was like his younger sister, someone he felt he was supposed to protect, just as much as he was supposed to protect Theresa. He felt almost guilty for letting this happen, to even let her be in pain.

Herry was pacing a rut in the floor, his fists clenched to prevent him from striking out against the wall. He wanted desperately to tackle Cronus down onto the floor for hurting someone he loved as much as his own younger sister at home. Atlanta reminded him strongly of her, with her enthusiasm and utter hyperactiveness (A/N: Is there even such a word?).

The boy with the afro was curled up in a corner, brushing away tears from under his green tinted glasses. Atlanta was like his twin, seeing as she was the only one who was in the same grade as him. She loved ruffling his hair up, teasing him when he answered practically all the questions the teacher posed… In fact, how he wished Atlanta was next to him right now, ruffling his hair up no matter how irritating it could be.

Even the descendant of Narcissus was fingering the hem of his shirt, looking positively worried. For once he was frowning, unconcerned with whether or not the little frown lines would stay on his gorgeous face. Although the feisty red head enjoyed teasing him and messing up his beautifully arranged hair in glee, he still loved her for what she was. Neil wasn't just Neil who loved himself; he actually held places in his heart for the team which had stuck with him for the past one year.

But worst of them all was Archie. He was chiding himself, killing himself inside all over again for letting the one he loved even get injured. How could he claim that he loved her when he couldn't even protect her? How could he promise that he would be there for her through all when he couldn't even feel the pain she felt? He banged his head repeatedly against the wall, a low thumping sound in the silence ringing through the corridor.

**Behind the door:**

Chiron bustled around, mixing potions and herbs frantically. Atlanta's condition was one that he had never seen before. All the gods and goddesses were already converged in the room, helping him with energy and magic as he worked. Even the usually calm Hera had a slight look of fear and worry in her gray eyes when she looked at a now sleeping Atlanta.

Artemis had earlier on changed her student out of her sweaty clothes and was now holding tightly on to her hand. It was a little unusual to see the normally boisterous goddess looking so forlorn and actually showing emotions. "Oh Atlanta please don't scare me, you've never looked so pale before through this one year that I've known you," she whispered.

"Oh Hades!" Persephone gasped as she stroked Atlanta's other arm. "Her hand!" everyone in the room crowded over as the beautiful goddess stared in horror. Atlanta had dug her fingernails so deep into her palm that she had left bleeding crescents. In a flash, Chiron sent Hermes bounding over with a thick bandage which he placed as padding within her palm.

"Here, this is all that I can do," Chiron sighed, turning around with a flask of pale pink substance. "I can only pray that it works." He leaned over the girl and opened her mouth gently, tilting the flask and allowing the honey-like mixture to flow down her throat. He took a step back and replaced the flask on the table. "Now all we can do is wait."

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

When the rest stepped through the door, they almost balked at the sight. Atlanta's face was so pale that it was a stark contrast to her red hair. She was dressed in a white robe which seemed too big for her currently frail body. Archie didn't bother holding back his tears any longer as he held her in his arms, gently rocking back and forth. _Atlanta I'm sorry. I let you down. I let you down. __I let you down…_

Neil looked away, but a tell-tale tear fell from the corner of his eye. _Atlanta, I love you._

Odie took off his glasses as he buried his face in Herry's shirt, but Herry was crying too, his huge hand holding her hand so gently it seemed weird.

Theresa was wailing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheek as she clutched at Jay, entangling her fingers in his shirt.

Jay could barely look at the beautiful girl in Archie's arms.

"ATLANTA!!!" Their united call rang through the night, disappearing into the velvet sky. The gods and goddesses were standing at one side, watching on as the team mourned their loss, their own tears falling incessantly. Chiron's tears shimmered like liquid diamonds as they welled up in his genial blue eyes. He rarely showed affection for anyone, especially not mortals. But even so, this hyperactive girl with her non-stop questions had wormed her way into his heart.

The air was cold, so cold…

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In Cronus's lair:**

"Well well, isn't that just so touching?" Cronus cackled, smacking Agnon across the head when the giant nodded. "Now, Chiron that dumb centaur should have known better than to try and counter my newest weapon. That dart that the beautiful Armelle slapped into Atlanta's arm is filled with the poison I have specially concocted to seep into the bloodstream bit by bit. The dart is as thin as a hair and as sharp as a needle. And the poison, ah…"

The god of time dipped a thin straw into a flask of black liquid and released the end, letting just one tiny drop fall onto the polished oak table. Immediately, a hole appeared, making a sizzling sound as it dissolved into the wood.

Cronus laughed, continuing, "If this one drop of poison can already destroy this perfect table, imagine what ten diluted drops in a mortal's bloodstream can do? Just look at your stunned face, Agnon. It's alright, I'll explain everything to you. First, the little droplets enter the bloodstream, diffusing in a way such that every inch of the human body is filled with them. Then, they attack. They kill the cells from inside, then make their way to the major organs. They clog up the blood vessels, they destroy the skin, they do everything possible that ultimately ruins the entire body. And then, the person dies. It's tried and tested, Agnon. There's no remedy, none at all. None. NONE!"

Agnon cringed and glanced at the other cowering giants. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know who he had tested the poison on in order to find out that there was no remedy. He gulped as his master threw back his arms over his head, cackling so loudly that all other noise was blocked out. He shuffled back into the shadows and squatted next to the other giants, watching their master celebrate his success…

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: Okay, this is really really long! For me, at least. innocent grin Anyway, I'll be leaving for a short holiday tomorrow so it will take quite a while before the next chapter is up. But I promise you it will be a happy ending, I WON'T LET ATLANTA DISAPPEAR FOREVER!

P.S: I'll make it exceptionally happy if I find that I've more reviews! wink wink hint hint


	7. Pink Roses?

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: Much as I yearn for the oh-so-sexy Archie, he does not belong to me. And neither do all the other characters. Sad case huh?

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In hell:**

Atlanta looked around her in considerable surprise. The air was humid, possibly even boiling hot. What seemed funny was that the skies were an orangey red, such that they looked as though they were on fire and the ground was a cold, barren black. Her eyes traveled up the looming metal gates before her.

"Where in the name of hell am I?" She mumbled, shuffling her feet and taking in her surroundings once more.

"You're in hell." A familiar voice came from behind.

Frowning, Atlanta repeated, "No! I asked where in the name of – OH." She turned to face a forlorn Hermes. He gave her a weak wave as the wings in his helmet and shoes took him nearer to her. Pretending not to see her confused face, he took her arm, guiding her through the gates which had swung open.

"I'm dead? I'm dead!" Atlanta blinked as the truth struck her. "Well, this is pure bullshit. I'm _not _dead so I _can't _be dead!" A slow grin spread across her face as she went on babbling, "That's right. It's all a bad nasty nightmare and when I wake up I'll go find Arch for a morning run."

Hermes leaned against a tree, watching the feisty teenager stop throwing a tantrum and convincing herself that she was not dead. "You, Atlanta, are dead. So stop deceiving yourself," he drawled, even as he held back the sadness he felt. "Look on the bright side; at least you'll be in the Elysian Fields with all the other heroes." Atlanta only blinked at this as she sank down to the floor, ignoring the gold coin Hermes held out to her.

"But I don't want to be with all the other heroes! Heroes who have been dead thousands and thousands of years, at that," she whimpered, drawing her knees to her chest, feeling like a little girl all over again. "I want to be with the rest of the gang, plotting how to fight Cronus. I want Theresa's comforting hug. I want to see Jay being serious. I want to tease Odie and Neil and I want Herry to spin me around and I want… I want… I just want Archie…"

The messenger of the gods bit his lip before suppressing his ego and forcing himself to kneel before the sobbing teenager, patting her back awkwardly. His lower lip quivered as he croaked, "There's really nothing we can do, Atlanta. You have to get onto the boat now! Persephone can visit you and she can bring news of the others occasionally, okay?" There was a sudden gasp and said goddess appeared, gathering Atlanta into her arms. Running her hand through the girl's spiky hair, she tried to calm her down.

"P… Persephone…I want… I never… I never said anything about how I feel to Archie!" Atlanta cried, hiccoughing and hugging the goddess tightly. "I want to tell Archie that… that I love him! I NEED him to know that I love him!" As her voice rose louder and louder, there was a sudden flash and a nodding Persephone found herself grasping at thin air. She blinked in surprise and turned to Hermes in confusion, her silky hair falling softly onto her shoulders.

"Could it be…" Persephone wondered, her eyes turning wide.

"…The prophecy?" Hermes finished as they hurried back to the mortal world.

**In the mortal world:**

Archie sat in a corner of the room, refusing to look as the others placed flowers upon Atlanta's cold, lifeless body. He zipped his black sweater up, sinking even further into his seat. His tears had long been spent, having cried for the entire night. Biting his lip in silence, he sorted through his thoughts before realizing that he had never told Atlanta something he should have told her ages ago. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now you'll never have the chance to do it again._

He ignored the gasp of surprise coming from the other end of the room. _What else can be so surprising? _He thought bitterly, blatantly boring holes into the wall with his glare. _It's not like Lannie's back form the dead. _The moment the thought entered his brain, he heard a familiar voice complain, "Theresa! You know I absolutely loathe pink roses!" He turned around, unable to believe his ears. Atlanta was sitting up, the flowers falling to the floor. She looked beautiful, almost like an angel. His lips moved wordlessly before he managed to utter, "L… Lannie?"

"Hey, dork," she responded softly, throwing herself into his arms as he moved forwards, still in a state of shock. "I missed you." He looked down and saw her tear-stained face her eyes still shining with unshed tears. The others clamored around, dying to know how she returned. She shrugged, just as amazed as they were.

"One moment I was crying to Persephone about…" She glanced at Archie. "About something, and the next moment, I woke up to find myself covered in _pink _roses." Her voice took on a tone of disgust as she brushed the remaining roses onto the already littered ground.

Abruptly, the door was thrown open and evil laughter filled the room. The titans looked at each other in growing horror. How could Cronus have made it past all the gods and goddesses? Still, there was no time for questions while they drew their weapons. Atlanta clambered off the bed she was laid on, reaching for her bolas. Knowing that her best friend would not appreciated being in a long white gown when she died, Theresa had dressed her in a form fitting black shirt and white cargo pants.

"I don't suppose I ever will know how this scrawny teenager returned," Cronus snarled as he entered the room, flanked by two of his giants. The others trailed behind, looking as menacing as giants could get. "But I do know that this time, I'm going to win! Attack!"

The giants leapt into action, each one heading for one teenager, leaving just Jay to face Cronus. Theresa sprung up from the ground as Agnon's hefty fist came hurtling towards her, missing its mark entirely. He spun around and lumbered after her as she ran towards the wall. Her momentum allowed her to take a few steps up the wall, kicking off and spinning through the air, head over heels as though she was weightless, while the astonished giant crashed straight into the wall and fell unconscious.

Archie grinned as the half-breed giant came towards him, an evil smile on its furry face. One flick of his wrist, and the giant found his polar bear nose bleeding. The irate giant narrowed his eyes as he slashed at the smirking teenager with a huge paw. Archie looked as if he was dancing, leaping nimbly out of the way every time the giant came near enough to score a blow. Cronus's servant soon found himself bleeding all over the place from hits from Archie's amazing whip. He whimpered pathetically as he looked up in time to see a foot descend upon his forehead. Blackout.

Herry took on two giants easily, shielding Odie with his brawny body. As the two giants sneered at him and advanced steadily, sure that they would be able to crush this mortal between them, he jumped up, grabbing their heads and smashing them together. They fell to the ground in a crash, causing the ground to tremble. Herry grinned at his little buddy as they gave the fallen giants a few more kicks for good measure. That was easy.

Atlanta sent her bolas flying at the charging giant and they wrapped around his legs, effectively tripping him and causing him fall, whacking his head on the floor hard. (A/N: Seems to be happening a lot eh?) He got up shakily, ripping the bolas off. He tried to aim a blow at Atlanta's head but she retaliated with a sound punch to his guts. Without missing a beat, she went on to pummel him and kick him, her fists and feet flying in a blur. She took a step backwards and looked at her handiwork with pride. The giant was lying motionless on the ground. God, that felt amazing.

Neil groaned as he watched his teammates fight with gusto. He loathed fights! They made his hair go out of place, and his body break out in disgusting sweat. Looking down, he saw an untied shoelace. "Oh, of all times!" He bent down to tie it again, not noticing the furious giant miss his mark. He leant towards the side as he lost his balance, his arm flailing out and hitting the giant in the nose. The giant lost HIS balance and toppled over Neil like a bridge, supporting his body with his hands. Neil stood up, throwing the giant off his body easily. Frowning, he turned to see a dazed giant slumped against the wall. Shrugging, he walked away.

Meanwhile, Jay was dueling with Cronus, sweat pouring off his back in buckets. He gritted his teeth as he fended off the slashes from Cronus's scythes. Dodging a blow to his side, he managed to dislodge a scythe from Cronus's hand, only to have it reappear. Cronus half sneered and half smirked, lunging at the leader again. Suddenly, he felt a presence around him. Form the corner of his eyes, he could see his team members surrounding him, their weapons drawn. All at once, the attacked, humorous war cries coming from the Warrior and the Hunter. Realizing that he could not beat them, no matter how good he was, Cronus opened his time portal, fending off their blows as he backed into it.

His vehement parting shot as the portal closed was, "I'll be back, titans. I'll be back."

Exhausted, the seven teenagers slumped against one another, panting for breath. Atlanta turned to look at Archie, grinning as her best friend slung one tired arm around her. She tilted herself so that her mouth was just above his ear and murmured, "How d'you feel?"

Raising one eyebrow, Archie replied, "Like I just scratched a timber wolf's belly." The group laughed at Atlanta's skeptical expression as they lounged against the bed Atlanta was draped over earlier on. Archie's grip on her tightened as he struggled to stand up. At that moment, the door swung open again and everybody tensed up, hands flying to their weapons at once. They exchanged glances warily.

Hera emerged with the rest of the immortals in tow. Seeing the titans sprawled wearily on the floor, they heaved relieved sighs. Her voice seemed to catch as she exclaimed, "For a moment… For a moment, I thought…"

"Admit it, Miss Hera. You love us!" Archie teased, nudging Atlanta as he did so.

"You were afraid you'd never see us again, right?" Atlanta chimed in, giving Archie a kick in his shin. Hera's face went emotionless once more as she resumed her composure. Taking one step towards Atlanta and placing a hand on her shoulder, she continued what she was about to say, "Before I was so rudely interrupted, I want to explain to all of you why and how your tem member was able to return from the dead so easily."

The bunch of them unwittingly drew closer, like little children listening to a fairy tale. "When the prophecy of seven teenagers saving the world was made, another prophecy was made as well. It was said that because of true love, one who died, would return. This happens only once in, oh, a millennium. Atlanta was that person." Hera looked at the blushing girl almost fondly.

Sidling closer to her, Theresa asked, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Now, 'Lanta, who was the one you loved?" Smacking her friend on the head, Atlanta scowled. Jay noted that Archie looked slightly disturbed, as though he wasn't sure if the person Atlanta loved was him. Laughing, Aphrodite stepped in to intervene.

"All of you, listen up. Our school is going to hold a first ever Christmas party and all of you have to bring a date. Hera has already announced it to the school during assembly last week, if you can remember. So you have just one more week to prepare for it," Aphrodite smiled prettily, tossing her corn silk hair out of her face. The titans froze, looking at one another. They had been so busy and so concerned with everything else that they had forgotten all about the party.

Surprisingly, Herry was the first one to break the silence, "I suppose I could ask Claire…"

Following suit, Odie commented that he would ask Zedora, and Neil, surprise of surprises, said he would be going with his loved one. At this, everyone rolled their eyes, there was no doubt that Neil would be going alone. This left the other four looking at each other warily.

"Jay, who're you going to ask?" Archie turned to his leader, smiling mischievously. Knowing what was on the younger's mind, Jay turned immediately to Theresa and asked, "Will you give me the honor of being your date to the dance?" When she nodded, grinning maniacally, Jay turned back to him, "So, who're _you _going to ask?"

"Oh, I'm not sure. Perhaps I'll ask Armelle. I think the effects of Cronus's spell should be wearing off already…" Archie pretended to ponder, blatantly ignoring the glares the girls were shooting his way. "Okay, okay, I'm kidding. Lannie'll go with me, won't you?" He directed the last sentence to a fuming Atlanta.

"Actually, I don't think I will go." Atlanta snapped as she left the room. Stunned, the purple headed guy was left staring at the door. He turned to others questioningly, receiving shrugs in return. It took him a few minutes before his senses kicked in. He ran out the door after her, frantically calling her name. He found her sitting in the corridor, looking utterly forlorn. His footsteps slowed down as he came up to her, sitting himself next to his best friend. Tentatively, he put an arm around her.

"Lannie… it's okay if you don't want to go. But honestly, I _do _want to go with you," Archie tried, bumping her shoulder with his head like a puppy. "I didn't mean what I said about asking Armelle."

"Arch, it's not about Armelle. I just… I can't go to parties like these. I get freaked out by the crowds, especially since Theresa will be forcing me into a dress. I can't wear dresses!" She almost shrieked the last sentence out, burying her face in his chest. Archie gulped as he circled his arms around her. "I know I'm so childish to be worrying about such things, but I honestly can't help it, Arch."

"You don't have to wear a dress, Lannie. Although I'm sure you'll look beautiful in a dress," Archie furrowed his brows, unsure of what else to say. "If you don't go, I won't go either, alright? We'll hang out at our apartment, watching comedies." In response, Atlanta only buried her head further into his chest and wrapped her arms around him. There they sat for ages, until the others found them…

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: I know the Christmas Party part was a little off the topic but I had to find something to link to my next chapter . 

Anyway, it's my promised happy ending isn't it? So having a Christmas Party means there will be mistletoe and mistletoe means….?

Yup, kisses galore! Okay, actually it's more of fluff galore but yea, you get my point don't you? Review, people!

P.S: Erm, to clear up some things in the previous chapter, Neil meant sibling affection when he said 'Atlanta, I love you."


	8. Unbreakable

**Only You**

By darKitty

Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine. And thank hell this is the last chapter so I don't have to think of more disclaimers. . 

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

**In Archie's room:**

"You're not serious about this right, Jay?" Archie eyed the small bottle of wax his leader held in his right hand.

"I certainly am. Sorry buddy, but these are Theresa's orders. Grab him, Herry!" The scrawnier boy soon found himself dangling above the air in Herry's death grip, a malicious grin on Hercules' descendant's face. "I didn't mean above the air…" Herry gave a sheepish grin and placed Archie back on solid ground, much to his relief. Neil stepped out from behind Jay, brandishing a comb, chortling as he watched Archie's steel blue eyes widen in shock. Odie joined him with a camera, inserting the film in.

"Finally a weapon I can use!" Neil exclaimed gleefully, setting to work immediately. Odie pranced (A/N: Not exactly the right word to use I know, but still…) around, filling the room with flashes of light as he snapped photos of Archie squirming, wriggling and desperately trying to break free. "Archie! Will you just stay still?! Your hair's going to end up like a porcupine's back if you continue wriggling like a damn worm!"

Archie stilled himself, glowering at a smirking Jay. "The things you do for her, Jay, I'd think you guys were a couple!" Expecting him to blush and concede defeat, Archie didn't exactly anticipate his response.

"Oh, we are. I asked her to be my girlfriend yesterday when _you_ and _Atlanta _were somewhere else."

Archie grumbled about not being told anything, before realizing that Neil was done. He touched his hair. It was flat! Again! He whirled around and stared at the blonde boy who shrugged and pointed at his leader who shrugged as well and mouthed 'Theresa'. Groaning, Archie rolled his eyes and stared at his reflection. Nothing could ever get worse than this. But hey, of course it can…

"Put this on, and this, and this..." Jay rummaged about in a paper bag, throwing articles at him. Archie frowned, picking up a black long-sleeved shirt with a silver dragon emblem, a pair of dark jeans and oh god, _sneakers_. He gazed at them in disbelief, "You're kidding, aren't you?" When Jay shook his head, he threw down the clothes in despair.

"Well, isn't this just unfair! While I'm being forced to dress to the nines, you guys can just…" His sentence trailed off as he took in their appearances. Jay had on a dark blue shirt, paired with a pair of lighter jeans and his shoes. Herry, for once, at changed out of his orange tee-shirt, to be replaced with a light green button down, and brown cargo pants. Neil, as usual, was dressed fashionably in a brand new shirt and pants from Armani ("They cost a bomb!").

"Odie! Is that _mousse _in your hair?!" The younger boy nodded and smiled, glancing at the discarded clothes meaningfully. Moaning, Archie conceded defeat and grabbed the clothes, changing into them right before the guys. It wasn't as though there were girls around, right? As he pulled his shirt over his head, the door swung open slightly and a pair of twinkling eyes peered around.

"Odie, Theresa told me you were here and – Oh. My. God!" Zedora stopped mid sentence, catching sight of a half naked Archie. Finishing the job of changing into the clothes, Archie looked up to see Zedora still staring at him open-mouthed. He looked at the rest of the guys and received suppressed grins.

"I… think I'll return to Atlanta's room." Zedora slipped out hurriedly.

"NOT AGAIN!"

**In Atlanta's room:**

When the girls had finally finished cackling over Archie's misfortune, conveyed to them by Zedora, they turned to look at a red-head staring at herself in the mirror. Atlanta looked at her reflection uncertainly, smoothing down the red satin beneath the black mesh. When they had gone shopping the day before, Theresa had persuaded her to buy a deep red dress with a black mesh covering the skirt. There were black gems sewn into the fabric's edge, the light making them sparkle when the wearer shifted slightly. The skirt ended just above her knees, showing off her toned and tanned calves nicely. Spaghetti straps held the dress up, showing off beautiful shoulders she never knew she had.

"You look like a real babe!" Claire commented admiringly from one spot on the bed. Zedora nodded in agreement and Theresa smiled approvingly. The boys' dates had been roped in by Jay's new girlfriend to dress Atlanta up. Hopping up from the bed, Zedora guided Atlanta to the horribly cluttered dressing table and sat her down before it. In a flash, she was dabbing at Atlanta's face with make-up brushes. She smoothed blue eye shadow over Atlanta's eyelids, bringing out the blue in her eyes all the more. Brushing tan blush across her cheeks, Zedora gasped at her well-defined cheekbones, which was joined by agreeing compliments from the other girls. Finally, she applied a layer of clear gloss to Atlanta's plump lips, grinning in delight at her handiwork.

"My turn now, babe," Claire smiled, retrieving a pair of hair straighteners. "Your purple-haired date with those great abs is going to faint in shock when he sees you, or die of sever blood loss from nose-bleeding." In a few minutes, she had Atlanta's hair hanging in a shiny red river down to her collar bone. She stared in surprise at her own reflection, she hadn't even realized that her hair was so long. Theresa stepped forwards and clasped a black choker around the younger girl's neck, smiling fondly at her.

She turned this way and that, not believing her eyes. "I look… I look like a girl!" At this, the rest of the girls fell about laughing again. Wiping tears from her eyes, Claire choked out, "You are a girl. You're a damn right pretty girl."

Atlanta grinned in embarrassment, sure that her face was red. She looked at the other girls in surprise. So apprehensive was she about the dressing-up session that she hadn't realized how prettily the others were dressed.

Theresa was wearing an emerald green dress that had an asymmetrical hem. It started from her left knee and ended at her right ankle, shimmering with glass beads. The top was a halter, leaving half her back bare, showing off her satiny smooth skin. The material clung to her body, accentuating her curves. Claire had tied half her hair up, placing a diamante butterfly there. The rest hung in front of her in red waves.

Zedora donned a gold strapless dress, the color setting off her chocolate skin tone nicely. The dress was simple, with just an outline of a flower at the bottom left. The dress was made of chiffon, making it shift as though it was made of water every time she moved. Being conservative, she had picked a dress that swished around her ankles. Her eyes were kohl lined, making them seem wider. Her lips shone and shimmered with slight flecks of gold. Claire had bunned up her black hair, leaving tendrils to frame her pixie-like face.

Claire had outdone herself, with her blonde hair falling about her shoulders in curls. Zedora had brushed eye shadow of the palest pink over her double eyelids and painted her lips with a pearl pink. Her dress showed off her curves beautifully, with the hem barely skimming her knees. The top was white, and it gradually darkened to a dark pink at the bottom. It was cinched around the waist with a thin ribbon, and flowed out nicely after that. It was designed such that the entire skirt would flare up when she twirled.

"You girls look absolutely gorgeous too," Atlanta said softly, looking at them. "I'm sorry I only just realized."

"Took you long enough to realize," Claire returned teasingly. "C'mon, I think it's time to go."

**In the living room:**

The guys lounged on the couch, waiting nervously. All except for Neil, of course. He was studying his face in his three-paneled mirror, applying another layer of foundation to cover up any imaginary blemishes. A sudden gasp from Odie signified that the girls had arrived. Jay turned off the television and turned to stare as Theresa descended from the top of the stairs. Archie tapped his open jaw, making him snap it shut. _How can I not drool when I can see her bare back? _Jay thought, standing up to go to her.

Odie grinned in pleasant surprise when Zedora came down next, her gold dress shifting ever so slightly. He offered his arm to her and she took it graciously, smiling with her gold-flecked lips. Claire came down next, after trying to persuade Atlanta to come out of her room. Herry wrapped an arm around her slim waist, marveling at the feel of her silk dress. Finally, when Atlanta emerged from her room, all the guys stared.

Even Neil looked up from his mirror to fix his eyes on her. She came down slowly, biting her lip as she tried to balance on her strappy black heels. Never before had they seen their tomboyish Atlanta dressed like a princess. It was Jay's turn to tap on the younger boy's jaw as he stared at her in amazement. When she tripped down the last few steps, he practically flew towards her as he enveloped her in his arms. They grinned at each other as he released her.

"Dork!" She said teasingly, reaching up to ruffle his hair before realizing that it wasn't exactly ruffle-able. She turned to the other guys, and of course, Neil had to take the credit for himself, boasting about how he held back a snarling, fighting, Archie and single-handedly forced the wax into his hair. This time, nobody even bothered to continue listening to him as they made their way to Herry's truck.

**At the party:**

They arrived to find the party in full swing, with the dance floor crowded and music blasting from the stage where a live band was playing. The titans were fully impressed, never before had they imagined that the gods and goddesses were capable of doing such things.

The guys and girls split up to get their drinks before converging at a table. A few of the girls from the hockey team joined them, the brunette called Liza giving Atlanta a gentle slap on her 'cute ass'. After talking for awhile, Odie led Zedora out of the party hall to take a walk. As they made their way out of the hall into the silence of the night, he slipped his hand into hers shyly. She bit back a grin when he did so, instead curling her fingers tighter around his. They stopped at a bench which, suspiciously, hadn't been there before. Zedora looked up and nudged Odie, "Look, mistletoe!" Instead of a response, Odie leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. (A/N: I like to think that Odie has grown taller.)

At one side of the garden, Herry and Claire were watching the other couple, bemused looks on the faces. Herry turned to his date, "I never knew Odie had it in him!" Claire pointed up, and he glanced up to see mistletoe suspended in midair. She pulled him down for a kiss, and his last thought was suspecting that this was Aphrodite's work.

Back in the party hall, Atlanta and Theresa returned to the table after dancing with the other girls to a rendition of 'Girlfriend' by Avril Lavigne. When Theresa collapsed into Jay's arms, settling her head into the crook of his neck, Atlanta looked around for her date.

"Where's Archie?!" She shouted to Jay, trying to make herself heard above the noise.

"Somewhere!" Jay replied, grinning insolently at her. He leaned down to whisper something in his girlfriend's ear and she looked up in surprise and sheer delight. Then, they turned to look at Atlanta and burst out laughing. Frowning, she looked around, searching the crowds for her best friend. Suddenly, the upbeat song playing a moment ago slowed to a stop. There was a pause as every pair of eyes turned to face the stage. Jay and Theresa beckoned the other two couples who had just entered over and whispered to them. They began sniggering immediately, much to Atlanta's chagrin.

"Good evening everyone. Erm, this song is 'Unbreakable' by Westlife. I'd, er, I'd like to dedicate it to Atlanta…" A voice from the stage jolted Atlanta back into reality. She stared in disbelief at an amazingly good-looking guy on stage in a black shirt and jeans and… wait a minute. "Is that Archie?" She exclaimed, receiving a chorus of 'yes' es from her friends.

The band began playing and Archie picked up the mike, his surprising good voice filling the hall. All over the dance floor, couples were pairing off and dancing. Theresa turned to Jay, "Archie's quite a crooner isn't he?" Jay nodded in agreement.

_Took my hand  
Touched my heart  
Held me close  
You were always there_

By my side  
Night and day  
Through it all  
Baby, come what may

Swept away on a wave of emotion  
Overcaught in the eye of the storm  
And whenever you smile  
I can hardly believe that you're mine  
Believe that you're mine

"I'm not yours, dork…" Atlanta whispered, tears springing to her eyes. She dashed them away quickly.

_This love is unbreakable  
It's unmistakable  
And each time I look in your eyes  
I know why  
This love is untouchable  
A feeling my heart just can't deny  
Each time I look in your eyes  
Oh baby, I know why  
This love is unbreakable_

Atlanta watched as girls started singing along, hands placed on their hearts. She blinked, then to her friends' surprise, ran off. Claire stood up frantically, "Where's she going?! That stupid stupid girl! Oh gosh!" The rest got on their feet, before jolting in shock as a feminine voice joined Archie's husky one on stage.

"I… didn't know Atlanta could sing," Zedora stuttered.

_Shared the laughter  
Shared the tears  
We both know  
We'll go on from here_

Cause together we are strong  
In my arms  
That's where you belong

I've been touched by the hands of an angel  
I've been blessed by the power of love  
And whenever you smile  
I can hardly believe that you're mine

Archie turned his eyes to a small figure ascending the stage. Atlanta was holding a mike, singing along with him, her eyes shining with tears. A smile broke out on his face as they neared each other.

_This love is unbreakable  
It's unmistakable  
Each time I look in your eyes  
I know why  
This love is untouchable  
A feeling my heart just can't deny  
Each time you whisper my name  
Oh baby, I know why_

_This love is unbreakable  
Through fire and flame  
When all this is over  
Our love still remains_

They fell silent as the drummer picked up the beat.

_This love is unbreakable  
It's unmistakable  
And each time I look in your eyes  
I know why  
This love is untouchable  
I feel that my heart just can't deny  
Each time you whisper my name  
Oh baby, I know why  
Cause each time I look in your eyes  
Oh baby, I know why_

"This love is unbreakable…" They chorused together softly, after the song ended with a crescendo. The hall erupted in cheers and applause when Archie leaned down, his lips meeting hers in a soft, sweet kiss. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders as his own arms encircled her tiny waist, his fingers spreading across her back.

Picking up the mike, he said something she never expected him to, right before everyone.

"Atlanta, you're my best friend and I know I'm yours too, but I want to be more than just that. Will you be my girlfriend?" Fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she leapt up and pulled him into a hug.

The hall waited with bated breath before she finally picked up her own mike and sobbed, "YES!"

**o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o**

A/N: Well, that's the end! Happy ending, yes? I chose this song because it makes me want to cry with happiness every time I listen to it. It's just so touching! Go listen to it if you haven't before, okay?

Thanks to all the reviewers and I hope this last chapter made you as happy as it made me. : DDD If _my _boyfriend ever did that for me I think I'd just cry my eyes out. xD

Love,

Kitty

Credits:

Unbreakable – Westlife

Lyrics from 


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